Sentinel Sports Now’s favorite dog Buddy is getting some stiff competition for lucky superstitious animals from a six-year-old Labrador Retriever Chance, who has become a lucky charm for the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning this season.

Believe in superstition or not, the Lightning have a 7-1 record when Chance, who belongs to Fox Sun Sports TV producer Rob Allaer, attends games. Unfortunately, Buddy has struggled in his inaugural season as a NFL sports oddsman. He finished the 2010 NFL season 10-9.

Interesting enough, a few of the French-Canadian players on the Lightning team informed Allaer that Chance’s name means “luck” in French.

“I think it’s coincidence to a point, but I’m very superstitious,” said Allaer, who was a producer for WESH’s Discovery Orlando in the late 90s. “When I played hockey always put my socks on a certain way.”

“The realist in me thinks that there’s no way a dog can have any impact on the hockey game, but hey, we have rabbit’s feet.”

Chance has become a popular fan favorite for Lightning fans. Allaer usually brings him to the morning skate on the day of home games where players rub him on the head for good luck. Then, he brings him to the production truck while broadcasting the games.

The Lightning play the Chicago Blackhawks tonight at home, however Versus will broadcast the game. Sun Sports’s next home broadcast will be Friday, Mar 11.